Iron County register., 1887-05-12
THE LATEST MINE HORROR

| The Terrible Calamity in the Victoria Coal
| Company's Mine at Nanaimo, b. C.-But
Little Hope of Rescue for the Imprisoned
Miners-List of the Dead, Injured and
Those Still Entombed.
| NANAIMo, B. C., May Sit was believed
| late last night that the fire in the air shaft
| of shaft No. 1, of the Victoria Coal Com
pany's mine, had been extinguished, and
| that only small body of fame existed
between the air and main shafts, which
can be conquered to-day. An attempt will
then be made to bring air in, and the work
OF rescue will begin. By tonight, it is
hoped, the men will be reached. A shift
that came up late in the night reported
| hearing evidence of a pick striking the
| opposite side of the wall There is a
faint hope of reaching the imprisoned
| men.
The danger of the gas being driven into
tne nre and second explosion is not
| past, and fears are entertained that the
whole place may be blown up. Old miners
say sucn result is possible. Fit should
occur the catastrophe would be the great
est recorded in the history of coal mining
The mines extend out from the shaft more
than mile beneath the waters of the har-
Oor.
The cause Of the explosion is unknown,
but it is generally supposed to have been
L
never be told.
The men now in the bowels of the earth
were on the afternoon shift from two un-
til ten o'clock
Jules Michael, one of the injured, says
he was at supper in No. shaft when he
felt the conclusions All scrambled, but
became insensible, and only one was
saved of his four companions whose dead
bodies came up in the cage with him. He
represents the explosion as having been
terrific. Every thing became dark at
once.
. John Lynch, another of the injured, has
been demented ever since the accident,
and continually talks about working in the
pit. 1t is thought he will die, having in
hailed gas.
Samuel Hodson, one Of the killed, was
miner of great experience. He died
from the effects of after-damp.
Following are the names of the killed
and injured:
Dead-Wm. Davis, John Lynn, John
Smith, VIM. Craven, Frederick Watson
and Samuel Hodson; also seven China
men.
Injured Davis, John Jones,
j. Stone, Sr., John Lynch and Jules
Michael
Richard Gibson, the overseer of tthe
mine, miraculously escaped with few
cuts about the face. 1t is estimated that
there are between fifty and seventy-five
Cinnamon in the mine.
Following is a list of those now in the
mine as near as can be ascertained:
No. Level-Geo. Bowden, Geo. Sim
mons, T. Martin, David Ellis and his son
Arthur, Benz. Popplewell, JAS Thomas,
Joseph Watson, Edward Jones, David
Morgan, Edward Wilkins, Edward Ben
ton, = Wobank, James Campbell, John
Malcolm, Robt. Buffin gton, j. McGrifin,
Robert Fallo, James Milton. VIM. Bene,
VIM. Gilbert, John Richards, r. Forest,
Jos. Thompson, Michael Lyons, Andrew
Hunter, John Meakin, ST., Andrew Muir,
VIM. Campbell, ]. Smith
New Slope-Daniel Dawson, R. Burns,
Thomas Perry, Robert Nicholson, Jona-
than Blundell, Geo. Riggs. Geo. Dawson,
j. Hughes, Chas. Drake. G. Willis, VIM
Hogtt, Jos. Sym, John Thompson, A.
Smiley, VIM. Morris. VIM Hoy, John
Miles, Alex Mcdonald, VIM Scabe, Frank
Tully, VIM. Stevens, j. A. Meekin and j.
German.
No. Level (old slope)-M Corcoran,
Malcolm Mclean, Peter Bucca, Joseph
Tollardo, John Zermain and De Porte (the
four latter Italians), Nicholas John, Rod
erick Mcdonald, w. j. Morgan, g. 81.
Meyers, l. Allen and Fl. Brun.
No. Level, North-George Old, Abra-
ham Diers, John Wobank, Chip Wobank, |
Evan Jones, Thomas Evan, William and
James Davey, J. 81. Westfelt, Arch Mier,
Henry Lee and his son Hudson Lee, Rob-
ert and John Stone William Redby, Jo-
seph and Andrew Martin, Bertram,
Hobart Bevilockway, William Lukey, Sr.,
William Lukey, Jr., James Hogan, j.
Byers and Joseph Isbister.
The grief Of the women is terrible.
They tear their hair and walk up and
down before the shaft, and some of them
want to go into the cage to find their
loved ones.